Emphasize the theme of a party by uniting all the elements -- invitations, gifts, place cards, favor tags, and napkin rings -- with a single design or icon, such as the "20" (for an anniversary) shown on the left. It's easy and inexpensive to do with rub-off transfers, which can be made with a black-and-white laser printer or copier and a few supplies. With a colorless marker known as a blender (available at crafts stores and usually used for blending marker colors together), you can transfer the ink from a laser-printed or copied image onto another surface.

Print a mirror image of the icon or text using the "mirror" function found on certain software programs and copiers; cut out, and place facedown on the surface where you want the design. Rub the back of the printed paper with the blender until you see the image seep through; then blot with a paper towel. Let dry for five minutes. When you peel away the paper, the image will remain in place. This process works successfully on most paper, ribbons, and fabrics; be sure to do a test run first.